Working (more like cobbling together) an operational level game 1942 PT Boats

 I had mentioned it a few weeks  ago but didn't go into detail.  Being a PT 109 fan from when I was an early 1960's kid, I have talked Greg & Roger into fooling around with some old 'Flattop ' maps , our collection of Cruel Seas boats and probably using Cruel Seas rules for engagements.  

 

 

Map showing area west of Guadalcanal, partly covering the New guinea to Bismark Sea 1944 scenarios.

I looked around and the only game I found on the subject was "Devil Boats in the Pacific" by Compass games, which is set scale for a single Boat's outlook. That game sounds a bit too granular for what we wanted,  don't feel the need to track levels of dysentery in the crew. 

Anyway,  I hope to have scenarios set in the Eastern Solomons, 1942 and off the New Guinea coast in 1944.  Most of the 1944 information comes from  the book US Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific,  The Approach to the Philippines . The Wadke'-Sarmi, Hollandia, and Biak operations are the backdrop for 1944.

 The progress is slow, but did push the building of the Cruel Seas Vospers Boats. Since these were the inspiration behind the Elco and Higgins Boats of the USN, they will stand in until my supply of the correct model come. I guess this counts as I built something.

 

 Mark 2 Vospers

Mark1 Vospers

 Yes, repairs are already needed to the torpedo tubes, and he boats join the painting queue. Since little gets done without a deadline, I am shooting for March. Greg has a lot of non PT boat equipment for the Japanese. To be seen again soon.

 

Vegatables, Nomes and an ambush -- Wars of Ozz game

 Magic alert.....the AAR contains sentient pumpkins and garden style gnomes gone bad!

New entries from the Wars of Ozz line as Greg has been busy painting. The back line units are from Old Glory's line; the singly mounted gnomes on the left front are from several sources online printing, and have no repeats. There is also a cannon and crew.

 The Kingdom of Harvest is filling in units, one mounted one foot, to make the two 20 point brigades. 

The scenario, Ambush! called for a 25 point brigade of Quadlings to be attacked by two brigades, each of 20 points. My long suffering Brunswicker battalions played the part of the Quadlings. three infantry units, a cavalry unit, and an off camera artillery battery completed the bush-wacked.

Suffice it to say, another learning game, as Greg had missed the earlier outing. We got through the four turns suggested in the book, giving props to the Gnomes, who were ably seconded by Mother Ophelia and her cats. The rules have some older concepts mixed in with a unit activation process that is different. 

Action shot of the gnomish artillery piece on the hill in the rear, as well as the mounted pumpkin flank attack setting up on the Hussars. The Brunswick  ( Quadlings) battery is just out of camera  frame  to the right.

Unit commander's special trait on stand. The table was 4 by 4 rather than the 5 by 4 in the book.  This made the game paraphernalia more omnipresent than normal. 

Another view of a unit commander's trait chit.

Outmanuevered, I would recommend the full size battlefield be used; cutting off a foot in table length placed the ambushers less than a charge move away from the ambushed units.  Greg discovered just how short ranged blunderbusses are.  We both found melee to be bad for a unit's health. 

Despite the rookie mistake on set up, the game was fun and we will try again, perhaps when the three of us can get together.  The rules did portray the chaos of an ambush well.

Pup adventurers

Well, they might be furrier, but they sure are cute.

 Our Dachshund looks quite a bit like Morgana in volume 1, the St Bernard is also awesome.

 See dog in window, upper right.

 

In the pack marked volume 3, a cavalier is included

and is listed as a bard. My daughter has one, and the dog choice of profession she said, "does not surprise me."

I have not seen volume (box) two, reports on that will have to come later.

So as characters in their own right, as familiars or as companions, something to think about.  Just don't tell Valentine, the resident Dachshund.  She'll want a summer at Hogwarts to become a sorceress-dog.

 

 

Raid on an airfield Huge scenario at Tabletop Games

Finally the story can be told.  Eighteen unarmored jeeps against the Luftwaffe and  Afrika Korps units in a midnight raid.

 With Jacob's 6 jeeps and 12 from the store, twenty two airplanes on the runway, 4 ammo dumps and over 100 Afrika Korps infantry, this was a big game!

The last plane had come in. It was midnight, the desert would be very dark if not for the lights on the runway, lit to guide the planes coming in just as the raiders were starting their engines. Eighteen jeeps, each carrying two or three mg's.

Lower airstrip, fighters and Ju-87 Stukas

 

Upper airstrip, where the big birds were located.

 

The first turn, 10 of the SAS jeeps showing, first blood to Jacob's group-the center jeeps. 

  Not to be outdone, one of my jeeps gets two planes the next turn!

And an ammo dump and another plane the next turn.

 

 

meanwhile, down the center Jacob's jeeps charged forward.

While assisting Eric, the third jeep team leader, in blowing up several more planes.

Pretty much my high water mark. Two ammo dumps, all but one plane on the first two tables were burning. Over 50 Afrika Korps soldiers were in rifle range.

We played the game through all the turns (6 or 7, don't remember ). No bombers were harmed, but there were no dive bombers or fighters remaining serviceable

Thanks to Tabletop, especially Ron M., who assembled 22of the  1/48th scale planes, painted and decaled them,  then did 12  jeeps, then did 90D..A.K. fit in as well. To Jacob, not only for the 6 finished models, but for his tactical rules knowledge. To "Death or glory"  Eric....we did well to get a tie.

Oh, yeah...to my dice.. which finally did what I needed in the game.

Third & final Frostgrave Golem Game

 
We gathered the three of us for the final Golem scenario. I won't do a blow by blow as it might tip some of the niceties of the series. 

What we did discover is that the right spell at the right time does wonders.

When Greg's push spell moved the Golem onto the frozen pond;

And then added another spell to make the ice too thin to support the weight of all that granite...

dropping the Golem into an icy watery grave!

 All that was left was the fight for the treasure.

Thoughts on the game:

The types of magic are well explained, relate to each other, build up on  or prevent  spells.

Picking hard to cast spells in spell groups neutral to yur specialty makes them very hard to pull off. 

Early on, playing defensively can make up for poor spell choice. 

Witches are stronger than you'd think among wizards. 

We had only tried scenarios from the base book (1-4) and five from the Frostgrave Folio supplement...three had to do with the Granite Golem arc. Your mileage may vary.

Friday Frostgrave 6 Jan game.

The three Fiday Old Guys sat through the third scenario of the Granite Golem story arc , collected treasures and stragglers and went shopping.  We will cover the game from the  13th but have the story end as Roger will be unavailable for a few of the games.

Overall beginning shot, Golem in middle.

My thugs strike and get first treasure.

ì

Greg's group depending on distracting Golem with raised dead, imps, animals.

 I score second treasure.

Taking treasure to safety.

 Imp (red) annnoying GOlem just before....

 

 We played the third game of  the Granite Golem arc in the Frostgrave Folio.  The table got set , the bands of wizards entered.....for the rest, you will need to read further. 

Old friend, new blog

Roger ..... The long suffering friend who has shared  more wasted time  :-) with me than anyone else has launched his blog.  This promises to be fun, and will no doubt correct many of the falsehoods I have provided over the game reports all these years.  He has faithfully played the bad guys in any scenario needing such a role.

A small sampling of Roger's Bavarians proxying for Daharra in a recent battle.

He is also to blame for starting the recent fantasy elements in our imagination campaign. ( Is fantasy in imagination an oxymoron?  You decide.) 

 

 He will post some of his extensive records over the next few weeks, and hopefully add the gadget so we can follow his blog.

Peter, Barry...it actually happened.

 

 https://rogerdownie.blogspot.com/

Painting queue slowing moving

I would have said glacially , but with global warming, the glaciers are moving faster!  In no particular order, 'on ' the table or just getting off. So despite a slow moving week that entailed a lot of 'one to one scale' activity, here we go.....

 28mm Armor wip.

A-10, Warlord, yes the barrel is missing in photo.

Mark VI, again from Warlord. TC and jerrycans need attention.

 From Perry Brothers, left a Vichy gun truck soon to see a 90mm set up. Right rear a Dodge Tanake. These last two give the Vichy forces some punch.

Definitely not armor

A munchkin fro the' Lands  of Ozz Wars,' a study in speed paints.  Looks like I am ready for St Pat's in a couple months.

Another VSF to adorn hallways, last stands, playing with the painting combinations to give the explorer shift.

Friday 6th Janary Frostgrave game part 2

Well, start of game two, 'FIeldwork' scenario.  It was just two of us, so Greg's kobolds and my Witches were to run around and not kill the Golem.

Sneaking up on the Golem who is being annoyed by several conjurings of the Kobold wizards.

The board did feature several statues that could have been summoned as constructs...but neither party's wizard had that particular trick.

Here we can see the treasure chips being picked up by the witch group, the Golem being otherwise distracted.

More detail of the kobold force

The defensive base of the apprentice witch and her archers.

The witches ' band thinning out; turns out that the treasure was easy this time.  

Final treasure token grabbed,  covered by the archer.

 The Granite Golem beset  by a zombie, imp, and two hounds. 

The crews both left with treasure and few losses. The witches obtained several scrolls and a couple useful magic items. The third of the Granite Golem scenarios will be played on the 13th.